1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handsaw which can be used to cut glass, such as a glass bottle, a method for manufacturing the same, and a method for re-using an empty wine bottle.
2. Description of the related Art
Wine bottles, come in various colors and designs, having stylish labels, which enhances enjoyment in drinking the wine contained therein. However, since such wine bottles are formed from colored glass provided in a various range of colors, it is difficult to re-use empty wine bottles. As a result, society has to deal with the mounting piles of empty wine bottles which exist at present.
The Life Products Division of the Life Industry Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry have proposed recycling empty wine bottles by melting the same to produce xe2x80x98ecology bottlesxe2x80x99 wherein various colors of the wine bottles to be recycled do not matter, and also converting the wine bottles into construction material such as roadbed material for roads. However, the fact that there is no guarantee (agreement) that drink/beverage manufacturers will utilize such xe2x80x98ecology bottlesxe2x80x99 poses a major problem, and the construction material made from wine bottles is still at the testing and research stage so that it will take a long time before such construction material can be put into practical use. On the other hand, if the bottom portion of a bottle such as a wine bottle, a xe2x80x9csakexe2x80x9d bottle, or a cola bottle can be manually cut, as a do-it-yourself (DIY) project, the cut bottle can be reused as a flowerpot, for example, wherein the cut bottle is turned upside-down. However, a diamond cutter which is commonly used by a glazier to cut plate glass cannot be used to cut a glass bottle.
A file-type cutter and a wire-type cutter are also known in the art as a handy glass cutter as an alternative to a diamond cutter. In either cutter, hard abrasive such as diamond abrasive is used. In the file-type cutter, diamond abrasive is applied to a surface of a substrate having a wedge-shaped cross section. In the wire-type cutter, diamond abrasive is applied to a stainless wire. However, in the file-type cutter, it is impossible to deeply cut glass because of the wedge-shaped section (i.e., it is impossible to cut thick glassware, such as a glass bottle), and in the wire-type cutter, it is difficult for a user to exert a strong force on the cutter because the wire is flexible, or it is difficult to cut an object along a straight line. Moreover, the wire of the wire-type is easily broken.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a handsaw which can be conveniently and easily used to cut glassware of various shapes, such as a glass bottle. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing such a handsaw.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a utilizing method for reusing empty wine bottles without melting the same, and for utilizing the same as a wine bottle planter (e.g., a flower pot).
According to an aspect of the present invention, a handsaw capable of cutting a glass bottle is provided, including a band-like handsaw substrate which is obtained by cutting a steel strip at a predetermined length, a blade portion of hard abrasive applied, by deposition, to at least one edge of the band-like handsaw substrate in the width direction, and a grip portion which allows the band-like handsaw substrate to be manually held.
In an embodiment, the grip portion includes a grip body which covers one end of the band-like handsaw substrate in the length direction thereof, and which is secured to the band-like handsaw substrate.
In an embodiment, the handsaw substrate is provided, on the grip side thereof, with at least two holes, the grip body being split into two halves with respect to a center plane of the thickness of the band-like handsaw substrate, one of the two halves being provided with projections which can be fitted in the corresponding the holes of the band-like handsaw substrate.
In an embodiment, the grip portion is a hacksaw frame to which the ends of the band-like handsaw substrate in the length direction are secured.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a handsaw capable of cutting a glass bottle is provided, including cutting a steel strip at a predetermined length to form a band-like handsaw substrate; masking the portion of the band-like handsaw substrate other than a cutter blade forming portion formed on at least one edge of the handsaw substrate in the width direction; applying hard abrasive on the portion of the handsaw substrate other than the masked portion thereof; and dipping the band-like handsaw substrate, to which the hard abrasive has been applied, in an electrolytic solution tank to deposit a metal layer in which the hard abrasive is embedded.
In an embodiment, the method for manufacturing a handsaw further includes securing a grip body to one end of the band-like handsaw substrate in the length direction, upon the band-like handsaw substrate being subjected to the electrolytic deposition.
In an embodiment, the band-like handsaw substrate is provided, on opposite ends thereof, with holes which are adapted to secure the hand saw to a hacksaw frame.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for reusing empty wine bottles is provided, the method including cutting a bottom portion of an empty wine bottle, and turning the cut the empty wine bottle upside-down so as to be utilized as a wine bottle planter.
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No.2000-308833 (filed on Oct. 10, 2000) which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.